Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026
Guide Wire Assisted Catheterization and Colored Dye Injection for Vascular Mapping of Monochorionic Twin Placentas
Published on: September 5, 2011
Usefulness of catheter guide wires for identifying sites of vascular injuries
Shirushi Takahashi1, Hiroshi Kinoshita, Masato Funayama
1Division of Forensic Medicine, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. shirushi@forensic.med.tohoku.ac.jp
Insights
Catheter guide wires effectively identified vascular injury sites in two forensic cases. This technique aids in pinpointing bleeding sources in collapsed vessels, crucial for trauma and autopsy investigations.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Pathology
- Vascular Surgery
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Identifying vascular injury sites can be challenging, particularly in cases of collapsed vessels due to trauma.
- Accurate localization of vascular damage is critical for determining cause of death and understanding injury mechanisms.
Observation:
- In Case 1, a guide wire facilitated rapid detection of an injured left radial artery in a collapsed extremity wound.
- In Case 2, a guide wire helped identify a small, injured branch of the left pulmonary artery during autopsy.
Findings:
- Catheter guide wires, with their flexibility and hydrophilicity, proved highly effective in visualizing and locating vascular injury sites.
- The guide wire technique is minimally invasive, vasoselective, and reproducible for forensic applications.
Implications:
- This method offers a valuable, less invasive adjunct to traditional forensic techniques for vascular injury assessment.
- The guide wire technique can improve the accuracy and efficiency of forensic investigations involving vascular trauma.
Abstract:
We report 2 cases in which catheter guide wires were useful for detection of vascular injury site. Case 1: A woman was died of hemorrhagic shock after being slashed at the extremities, but the vessels were so collapsed that it was not easy to find the injured site. After a wound track on the left forearm was cut open and a guide wire was inserted, the injury site was detected expeditiously at the left radial artery. Case 2: A woman was stabbed and died of hemorrhagic shock. An autopsy revealed 2 stab wounds in the back, one of which made a cut in the left lung. The wound track was cut open, and the injured vessel was revealed. It was too small in diameter to macroscopically determine whether the injured branch arose from, and so a guide wire was introduced from the injured site, and the injured vessel was easily determined to be a branch of the left pulmonary artery. Guide wires have many features, such as elasticity, flexibility, and hydrophilicity, which are considered to be applicable to forensic uses. The guide wire technique is easy, less invasive, highly vasoselective, and reproducible in identifying vascular injury sites.
